Sekonic
Sekonic is a Japanese manufacturer of light meters, still active today (2010). History The company's roots seemingly trace back to June 1941. Company outline in the Japanese official website. It was established as a stock company (kabushiki-gaisha) in June 1951 as Seikō Denki Kōgyō K.K. (成光電機工業 ) Chronology in the Japanese website. or Seiko Electric Industries Co., Ltd., History in the English official website. based in Toshima, Tokyo. Its first exposure meter was the Sekonic P-I. In 1959 the company opened a new factory in Nerima, Tokyo, and created the sub-company K.K. Hachiyō Kōgaku Kōgyō ( 八陽光学工業), with a factory in Ikeda, prefecture of Nagano, for the manufacture of exposure meters. The main company Seikō Denki Kōgyō was renamed K.K. Sekonic ( セコニック) in August 1960. It opened another factory in Ikeda in 1965. As well as light meters sold under its own brand, the company also made various OEM meters, sold under different names such as Prinz and Hanimex, whilst others were built into various Japanese cameras. Sekonic also made 8mm movie cameras and projectors in the 1960s, some of which were also sold under other names like Hanimex, others under their own Sekonic and Elmatic brands. In 1984, the Sekonic L-518 Digipro X-1 meter was used on board the NASA Space Shuttle. List of products Exposure meters * Sekonic P-I Perfect (c.1951) Product list in the Sekonic official website. * Sekonic P-II Perfect (sold at ¥3,400 in 1955) Column in no.80, June 1955, p.103. Advertisement in no.80, June 1955, p.105. * Sekonic CB-I and B-I Baby * Sekonic B-II Baby (sold at ¥1,980 in 1954–5) Advertisement dated 1954 reproduced at Shashin-Bako. * Sekonic LC-I Honest * Sekonic LC-II Clip-On * Sekonic L-I * Sekonic L-II Universal (sold at ¥4,300 in 1954–5) * Sekonic L-III Professional (sold at ¥6,800 in 1954–5) * Sekonic L-IIIB Professional * Sekonic L-IV * Sekonic L-V New Professional (sold at ¥7,900 in 1955) * Sekonic L-VI Leader (sold at ¥2,600 in 1955) * Sekonic L-7 Baby * Sekonic L-7B FR-Meter * Sekonic L-8B Director * Sekonic L-20B Table Light Checker * Sekonic L-28A Studio S * Sekonic L-28A2 Studio S2 * Sekonic L-28C Studio Deluxe * Sekonic L-28C2 Studio Deluxe * Sekonic L-36 Leader Deluxe II * Sekonic L-38 Auto Leader * Sekonic L-54 Pet Polaroid-Meter * Sekonic L-54 Pet LV-Meter * Sekonic L-54 Pet Snap-Meter * Sekonic L-54 Movie Pet * Sekonic L-58 Micro Mat * Sekonic L-78 New Movie Meter * Sekonic L-86 Autolumi * Sekonic L-86B Autolumi * Sekonic L-88 Micro Light Meter (1961–63) List of battery-operated exposure meters in the Sekonic official website. * Sekonic L-96 Super Micro Light (1961–64) * Sekonic L-98 Micro-Leader (1964–78) * Sekonic L-99 Auto Leader II * Sekonic L-104S Master IV * Sekonic L-136 Microclip-on (1962–70) * Sekonic L-138 Micro Junior * Sekonic L-158 Auto Lumi * Sekonic L-164 Marine * Sekonic L-164B Marine Meter II (1969–2002) * Sekonic L-164C Marine Meter II * Sekonic L-188 Auto-Leader (1979–2005) * Sekonic L-206 Viewmeter (1966–76) * Sekonic L-208 Twinmate (2000–) * Sekonic L-216 Autorange (1966–78) * Sekonic L-216B Autorange * Sekonic L-218 Apex (1967–79) * Sekonic L-228 Zoom-Meter (1968–85) * Sekonic L-248 Multi-Lumi (1971–92) * Sekonic L-256 Flashmeter (1972–85) * Sekonic L-256D Flashmeter * Sekonic L-258 Light Checker * Sekonic L-308 Flashmate (1992–) * Sekonic L-308B Flashmate * Sekonic L-308BII Flashmate * Sekonic L-308S Flashmate * Sekonic L-318 Digi-Light (1986–2002) * Sekonic L-318B Digi-Light * Sekonic L-328 Digi-Light F (1988–2002) * Sekonic L-358 Flash Master (2001–) * Sekonic L-398 Studio Deluxe * Sekonic L-398M Studio Deluxe II * Sekonic L-398A Studio Deluxe III * Sekonic L-408 Multimaster (1995–2002) * Sekonic L-418 Autometer (1977–80) * Sekonic L-428 System-Meter (1974–85) * Sekonic L-438 View-Spotmeter (1979–88) * Sekonic L-448 Studio-Auto II (1981–85) * Sekonic L-458 Digi-Flash (1984–89) * Sekonic L-478DR-U (2012-present) * Sekonic L-488 Digi-Spot (1985–91) * Sekonic L-508 Zoom-Master (1997–2003) * Sekonic L-508 Cine Zoom-Master (1998–2003) * Sekonic L-518 Digipro X-1 (1983–89) * Sekonic L-558 and L-558R Dualmaster (2003–) * Sekonic L-558 Cine Dualmaster (2003–) * Sekonic L-608 Superzoom-Master (2001–2004) * Sekonic L-608 Cine Superzoom-Master (2001–2004) * Sekonic L-718 Digi-Master (1990–2001) * Sekonic L-758 Cine Digital Master * Sekonic L-758DR Digital Master (2006–) * Sekonic L-778 Dual-Spot F (1992–2002) Colorimeters * Sekonic CT-II Color Meter Notes Bibliography * ** "Denki roshutsukei" (電気露出計, Electric exposure meters). Pp.102–3. ** Advertisement by Sanae Shōkai on p.105. Links In English: * Sekonic official website: ** Brief history ** List of battery-operated exposure meters, past and present In Japanese: * Japanese official website: ** Chronology ** Company outline ** List of past and present products (in English) * Advertisement for Sekonic meters published in 1954, reproduced in a page of Japanese postwar advertisements at Shashin-Bako Category: Japanese accessory makers Category: Meter makers